tiger oscars paired off

CatawbaIslander

CatawbaIslander

AC Members
Mar 15, 2009
32
0
0
Ohio
Hi all, have a question and wanted to get some imput.
We have 3 Oscars that are approx 3-4" we have two females and one male. We think the male has made his mate choice and was wondering if we should remove the other female and if it would be safe to put her in my Malawi cichlid tank until we can resell or find her a home. The Malawi cichlids that I have in my other tank are scientific name: Pseudotropheus demasoni "Pombo Rock" and Pseudotropheus Saulsi (which are both classified as dwarf Mbuna cichlids).
Any suggestions?
Thanks for the imput.
 
@ 3-4" how did you sex them? if a pair has obviously formed , (i would say they are still to young to tell) just take your 3rd oscar to the lfs, don't expect credit for a baby o though. I would advise against putting her in w/the africans to avoid her fins getting chewed up as oscars are actually not very aggressive, more so to each other than other types of fish.
 
Our reputable LFS owner told us that the male has a pointed anal fin. Females are rounded.
Assuming that he was correct and the fact that the two were locking jaws and pushed the 3rd away.
 
CatawbaIslander said:
Our reputable LFS owner told us that the male has a pointed anal fin. Females are rounded.
Assuming that he was correct and the fact that the two were locking jaws and pushed the 3rd away.
Click to expand...

fin shape is NOT a definate way to sex your oscars, you must wait untill they are 6-8" (without the tail) take them out of the water and inspect their vents(you will get wet), head shape, and the shape of the other fins are all clues in sexing, venting a sexually mature oscar is the only way to be sure of the sex.

as far as pair forming, the lip-locking is a good sign, but does not define a pair. not saying they are not as I am not observing their behavior. if they are always together and puff their gills out to one another and "side slap" each other, then they probably are a pair. breeding o's is fun and rewarding. you will eventually be able to tell how many days until they spawn based on their behaviour. though they probably will not breed for another 12-18 months. they are wonderful parents, the most important thing to remember is that if and when they do spawn, act like everything is normal. I always let my oscars raise their own babies. good luck.

I still advise against puttting the extra o in w/the africans.
 
Wanted to check with someone on that other oscar. wont be putting her/him with the cichlids. We will keep watching and make sure they are paired. The two were kinda passing by eachother and butting so, were hopefull.. My husband is really excited about the prospect of having a pair so dont want to jump the gun till were sure. Is there any info out there on HOW to check the vents (venting) ?? maybe well get adventurous enough to try it out L0L!!!!
Thanks for the imput.
 
Thanks a bunch. As far as dither fish, any suggestions? We have 2 firemouth cichlids in there now.
 
should be fine then. depends on the tank you will buy to house them in eventually, maybe a shoal of silver dollars, salvini's are very cool and max out @ like 5", gouramis, glo-dianos or a school of tiger barbs would also work well. if you decide on something that may be a snack to a grown oscar, get them soon and large enough not to be eaten within a month-6 weeks, then hopefulkly your o's will see them as tankmates not food. worked when I had a pair of oscars, I actually had a 3" rosey barb in there, I got a little cocky and bought some $35 shark of some sort that didn't last 10 minutes.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
AquariaCentral.com
Top Bottom